LE

British Army Tank crews are to have their personal firepower boosted with the introduction of a brand new model of the SA-80A2 assault rifle.

The MoD has placed a Â£1 million contract with Heckler and Koch to convert 1,400 standard weapons into a new, shorter, âcarbineâ design. Currently the four-man crew of a Challenger 2 tank is equipped with a combination of SA-80 rifles and Browning 9mm pistols. The new SA-80 carbine will replace both weapons when it enters service in 2005.

Dismounted Close Combat Team Leader, Colonel Simon Deakin said: âThis new rifle is a radical re-design of the SA-80.

The barrel has been shortened by almost a foot â to half of its original length â a new 20-round magazine has been developed and a forward hand grip replaces the hand guard, making it lighter and easier to store and manoeuvre from inside the tight confines of a tank.

LE

The standard weapon of the british army is the sa80 two versions A1
and the new improved version A2 .There is also a new carbine version
You can get replicas of the rifle and the Lsw and the old style carbine
which was never actually adopted strange enough.

Crow

Mike_2817: thanks for the links but for some reason I cannot access the ARMY or MOD websites. I found the article you have posted, but missed the point about the Carbine being for tank crew only!

Thanks also Woody, I have a picture of what is claimed to be an SA80. Hopefully it appears as I will attach it to this post if it is not here, please look at this link http://www.campingandcamo.co.uk/ishop/975/shopscr809.html and can you tell me if the A2 version is similar in looks to this.

Thanks to Armourer too! I love your suggestion but I can buy a replica Carbine for only Â£59.99 delivered and an SA80 for Â£65.94!

If anyone knows where I can buy a cheaper replica, please let me know.

LE

Thats an sa80 the diffrence between the a1 &a2 is mostly internal and the
cocking handle which is on the other side .Its also got the heckler koch trade
mark stamped on them .if the replicas were good enough for soldier soldier & dog soldiers good enough to hang on the wall

War Hero

Sorry to be a spotter, but there's not actually such a weapon as the SA-80, it's a family of weapons. You have the IW, IW carbine version and the LSW. Go the whole hog and get your son a deact. rifle to play with!

Crow

War Hero

Sorry to be a spotter, but there's not actually such a weapon as the SA-80, it's a family of weapons. You have the IW, IW carbine version and the LSW. Go the whole hog and get your son a deact. rifle to play with!

RIP

Sorry to be a spotter, but there's not actually such a weapon as the SA-80, it's a family of weapons. You have the IW, IW carbine version and the LSW. Go the whole hog and get your son a deact. rifle to play with!

Old-Salt

Zap Branigan: We'll train you till you'll be able to make your bed in your sleep!
Fry: We'll be sleeping in our beds when we make them?
Zap Branigan: No time for sleeping soldier, not with all the bed making you'll be doing!

War Hero

That's all very good, Commander, but the question on everybody's lips is this:

Is the fecking thing worth it; I mean REALLY worth it? Correct me if I'm wrong (it happens alot, so no supprise here) but I am sure there is a plentiful stockpile of HK53 rifles in armouries across the country. I'm sure that number is nearer a thousand (if not more!).